Now more than ever, the need to be politically active is a necessity to let our voices be heard in an ever changing country such as the U.S.
From experience, trying to understand the bills trying to become laws and the other countless legislation going through Congress can be difficult. These bills are lengthy and contain words I have never even heard of before. I quickly became frustrated. There had to be something out there that would make reading these bills, and understanding them to their fullest, readable for the average person interested in what their government is considering to vote on.
The app Countable does this and so much more.
This app is formatted just like a typical social media app, except it’s all about your local, state, and federal governments. It is customizable to fit your personal beliefs and how those topics are being dealt with in the House of Reps. and in Congress. Alongside reading these bills, you can put in your location and see how your Senators and Representatives are voting, and easily contact them via the app to state your opinion on the issue.
Countable’s slogan is “Your Government, Made Simple,” and it is exactly that. Simple.
Here’s an overview of the app itself:
There are endless issues to choose from, they are located in the section second from the left. Issues can easily be added or taken out from your feed at your choosing-
Once you choose your issues, you can click the leftmost button to see the bills being considered involving those issues. When you click on the bill, it gives you a brief summary of what the bill includes, allows you to vote on it yourself and lets users see how other people are voting on that specific legislation and the reasoning behind their choice. This section also gives information on what advisors the Trump Administration are considering or have hired, along with information on said advisor-
Your actual profile gives you an overview of your issues, the politicians you may choose to follow, and the legislations you have voted on-
The second rightmost button gives information on what you think about certain legislation and what bills have been passed or rejected-
The rightmost section contains an abundant amount of useful links. It includes the names of your representatives, politicians, various of organizations, and local legislation being considered in your state. Not only this, but this app includes a segment that allows you to actually register to vote and, by clicking on your representative, allows you to see the bills they have voted on and the phone number of their offices so you can reach them and express your opinions on certain issues-
Countable has its flaws, with crashes every now and again, but the overall product is absolutely incredible. As a high school student learning about the ways our government is functioning, or could be functioning, I felt stuck on what I could do to have an impact on how my representatives were voting. This app allows people of all ages to be actively aware in what is happening in their country and actively participating in it. Government has truly never been so understandable and accessible.
Countable can be downloaded for free on iOS/Android devices.
